Subtle Light
by Chargrilled39
Summary: "Erik?" he breathed, eyes wide and disbelieving. "Y-you're alive?" before Cobra even had the chance to respond he was promptly tackled to the ground in a bone crushing hug. Even with his superior hearing, to say he was expecting that would be a lie - Sting certainly had grown. Cobra/Sting


**A/N: **I've literally had this story sitting around for months and have finally got around to tapping out the first chapter which is a whopping 7,122 words long! I like Cobra honestly, he's a really under loved character, and needs moar fics in my honest oppinon :3 His last name was something I figured suited him, also this is pre tenrou arc, so if you think about it Sting and Rouge would only be about 11-12ish if that... xD

**Disclaimer:** Don't own any of the character's at all :c

* * *

_**Chapter one **_

He could vaguely hear them, hear those council dogs looking for him, they already had the others in custody and he couldn't find the heart in his cloudy mind to be surprised. Hoteye had succumb to the effects of Nirvana and had a personality switch, giving himself up willingly from what quiet whispers he heard, Angel had fallen to the enemy stellar spirit mage in a crushing defeat, her golden zodiac gate spirits abandoning her; surprisingly Racer had as well – though he was gravely injured after detonating his lacrima bomb; and Midnight? His magic was nothing against the likes of Titania Erza, her smarts outwitting his deceptive reflectors. Hell even that amnesia riddled bastard _Jellal _was taken.

Cobra? He – the poison dragon slayer – was taken out by Brain in a heartless backstab; literally. The vicious attack left a wound that had eradicated flesh on his right shoulder and left him bleeding out in the presence of his close companion; Cubelios. Cobra had faded in an out of consciousness since, lying there unable to move from the explosion of unimaginable pain, stunned into silence at the last thought he heard from Brain before he blacked out '_pathetic, weak fools like you who lose to a mere _scream _don't even deserve to live, and most certainly don't belong among Oracion Seis!'_ through in the depths of unconsciousness, his shoulder throbbed painfully and his sensitive ears twitched at the sound of continuous combat in the background; he tuned out of the unwelcome rabble until it became reminiscent of white noise, buzzing in the back of his mind. _Forgotten_.

That is... Until...

Zero's fall was enough to make him stir from the cold brink of death, eyes inching open into narrowed slits, vision cloudy. He could hear the echo of the man's last breath escaping him, the unnerving sound enough to make his ears twitch in the likeness of a cats. Satisfaction danced within his battered body, it seemed the arrogant bastard had met his end at the hands of that fire-dragon fairy – the irony was delicious. He was silently glad karma came around and paid the merciless man back tenfold, snuffing out his very life – though he was grateful, the sound of soldiers looking for him made a knot of unease churn in his stomach, he needed to leave the area; but that was easier said than done.

His right shoulder had suffered significant damage, seared, melted and outright eradicated flesh stretched from between his shoulder blades and over his spine, fanning out over his right shoulder; the wound deep enough to flash flecks of white bone. It was a miracle he wasn't paralysed. Saying it hurt would be the understatement of the millennium, even moving his body by a minute amount caused an eruption of pain to flood his senses, the stinging throb enough to make stars dance in his vision and threaten him with the looming danger of unconsciousness and eternal sleep – he couldn't pass out, he refused to collapse and succumb to the fools of the Council.

He was _not _being imprisoned again.

_Ever._

Not after slaving at that _damn _tower for the majority of his childhood. Images of dark, damp cells flooded his mind, the sounds of screaming and crying heard echoing through the cellblock. Oh gods, he wasn't going to jail, he wouldn't, _he couldn't! _He refused to relive that nightmare! He willed the last reserves of his magic through his system in a panicked frenzy, the poison seeping through his veins and extracting a strangled cry from his dry throat and his eyes went wide, snapping his jaw shut the second the sound slipped from his chapped lips. He needed to be quiet, but it hurt, by the gods it hurt! Brain's residual magic remained in his ravaged flesh, fighting off the toxin and causing more pain to sweep through his body in violent torrents. He could feel the poison oozing through to his injury slowly, attacking the foreign magic, numbing the mangled flesh there to the point where he was able to shift his body into a half lying down, half couch position. Cobra let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, copper tasting blood dripping between his clenched teeth.

'_What was that noise? All others are accounted for except... Is it the one codenamed Cobra?' _Steely grey eyes widened ever so slightly and he forced his body to move, he needed to run. _NOW!_ He could hear their footsteps and cries of suspicion, they were closing in on him, he needed to escape and he needed to do it pronto.

"Just, five more seconds... please" he hissed, eyes wide, panic setting in and for the first time since he left that damn tower; he felt _fear_. Wait. Where was Cubelios? His gaze did a brief sweep of the area, and he sniffed the air – her scent a few hours old now. When had she left him? An iron weight dropped into his chest nearly causing him to collapse, but Cobra refused to fall – he had _not _pushed himself this far to be caught at the thought of his beloved companion leaving him. He would not break just because she left; he would find her like he promised. So he forced himself to stand, arms buckling under the dead weight his body seemed to want to imitate. Fatigue had begun to set in, and darkness danced before his eyes, tempting him with the lull of everlasting sleep '_No!'_ he thought sharply, shaking the blurring edges of his vision away with a snap of his head '_Move, I need to...'_ his body responded to the desperate plea, and he managed to slowly and shakily inch up into a crouch, the open wound on his shoulder straining painfully even under the effects of his poison, blood oozing down his right arm in red ribbons.

He could hear their footsteps and Cobra had come to the quick conclusion he couldn't run in this condition – he was by no means a fool. Nirvana had collapsed around him, and many of the buildings had returned to rubble, but he didn't care – he couldn't care. All he knew was that there were pockets that could hide in, and that was more than enough motivation.

"_Move damnit!" _he snarled through gritted teeth, blowing a piece of maroon hair out of his eyes in frustration. They were closing in, and pretty damn fast. Cobra had managed to move into a hunched over standing position, the poison seeping through his worn muscles pushing him on until his breaking point – and hell! He would exceed that if he had to! He was _not_ getting caught. By some means of a miracle, he had managed to drag himself far enough to hide under the roof of a nearby collapsed building, shuffling to lay flat on his stomach so not as to aggravate his injury. He could hear their boots thunder past his hiding position not moments later, their thoughts scattered and jumbled.

'_Where is he?' _

'_I swear I heard something this way, maybe it was...' _

'_Lahar's gonna be pissed if we don't find him!'_

Cobra snorted quietly, remaining still until he was absolutely positive they had left, waiting silently with the patience that only he could have. Hours had passed, and his muscles had grown stiff from being held in the same position for such a long period, so with great reluctance he stretched a little in preparation to leave. By the time he had managed to gather the last reserves of his strength to move from his spot, it was well into the night. Thousands of glittering stars dotted the sky and a crescent moon illuminated the earth in a pale light. He could hear all the nocturnal animals and rodents coming out to inspect the ruins of Nirvana, and subsequently the venomous reptiles that hunted them.

Venom... His eyes lit up and a half smile spread across his face, the local pit vipers could help him survive for a small while with the toxic cocktails that swam in pockets behind their skulls. Cobra's ears twitched at all the faint noises encompassing him; he could hear dust falling from the rubble, small paws of rodents pattering on the stone and belly scales of the serpents scraping over the same paths – hunting them. He crawled out from beneath the collapsed roof and sat down in the shadows of the building he had used to hide in – a viper was headed his way. It slithered between two fallen slabs of stone, its tongue flicking out to taste the air and he watched its bronze scales with amusement; Cobra's lightning reflexes snatching the unsuspecting reptile from the dusty ground the second it was within range, and he couldn't help but feel a little smug.

Cobra held a thumb and forefinger behind the reptile's head and used his other hand to stroke the smooth scales on its snout. He had always liked snakes, the cold blooded reptiles holding a place in his heart ever since Cubelios slithered into his cell in the Tower of Heaven. So it was with great reluctance he did what he had to do – to Cobra, it was very much like killing his beloved partner herself. Cubelios... how he missed her already...

"I'm sorry, little one" he muttered, ignoring the open detached jaw gaping in his direction, fangs adorned with small golden orbs of his life-saving liquid. With a quick flick of his wrist he snapped its neck with a sickening crack, the coils curling up and around his forearm going slack instantly. Cobra tilted its head forward and prodded the overflowing venom sacks with a frown, he hated to do this... but his life was much more valuable than a mere snake. He sunk elongated canines into them, the poison erupting out in but an instant and he swallowed it greedily, savouring the sharp spicy flavour it held.

It was a small meal, but a meal none the less. With one last apologetic glance at the still reptile he threw it away with a flick of his wrist, now he could finally start sorting himself out. His ears twitched again and he let his eyes fall closed – Cobra always did find it easier to listen for potential dangers with another sense cut off. Thankfully, there was no one within the vicinity, the army had long since left, and the alliance that had formed between the legitimate guilds had also departed. Cobra risked a glance in the direction of the guild they were headed to – maybe he should drop in and say _hi_? With an experimental roll of his wounded shoulder, he pumped more venom into the injury to prevent the throbbing pain hampering his progress. Shredded, burnt white fabric stuck to his injury, the threads of the coat sticking to it like glue and making him feel uncomfortable; His tank top would be fine... but the coat...

"Useless...!" cobra ripped off his white trench coat and threw it to the side with a scowl, there was no reason to keep it in such a state – he could replace it. Eventually. Using the building as support he stood shakily and scanned his surroundings for any sign of lavender scales '_she's not going to be here idiot, stop thinking about her!'_ with a roll of his eyes he sluggishly moved forward. Still, the thought of his beloved leaving him left a gaping hole in his heart that made his eyes burn, and his chest go tight. He hadn't felt the feeling for many years, but knew exactly what it led to.

So when silent, warm tears rolled down his cheeks he wasn't all that surprised.

Cobra kept silent, his face blank as he trudged through the ruins of the ancient city and to the beginnings of the forest that surrounded a lake – he would go to Cait Shelter, thrash their guild into oblivion and force that damn '_Sky Maiden'_ to heal his injury! He blinked through the tears that blurred his vision, and his thoughts strayed back to his reptilian friend.

"How could she...?"He whispered to the darkness around him, supporting himself against different trees to continue forward. He missed her already, gods he missed her, but he had no idea why she left him! A twinge in his chest made him smile slightly, '_I suppose it's for the best, if she got caught along with me... I'd rip her captor's throat ou-!'_ Cobra stopped dead in his tracks, a clear blue lake expanding out before him. His eyebrows shot up into his hairline in surprise, so caught up in his musings he had _forgotten_ there was a huge lake that expanded between the guild Cait Shelter and the ruins of Nirvana.

Well shit.

"Perfect" he muttered, ears twitching at the sound of bats swooping through trees. With a roll of his eyes he began the slow trek around the lake, his shoulder throbbing uncomfortably the whole way. '_Maybe I should have grabbed another viper...' _he prodded the wound gingerly, rubbing the sticky puss and thick poison between fingers with a frown. There were two problems with his grisly injury at the very moment; the first, it couldn't heal naturally with his poison in it – even though the toxins themselves were the reason he could remain conscious through the pain – the second, was that it was _very _much an open wound and prone to a variety of infections. Cobra grimaced; he was in the middle of a god-forsaken forest, with a gaping wound that may as well be a carrier for every pathogen possible. With a haughty sigh, Cobra subtly pushed through the last tree barrier and into the clearing of Cait Shelter.

Straight away he knew something was off.

Dragon slayers were renowned for having heightened senses, and even more so if they focused their training onto one of the five. Cobra was a perfect example of this, so when his overly sensitive ears failed to pick up any noise, any breathing... he was left extremely confused. Were they _not _celebrating their narrow escape from their doom? Had they left the guild, after that group of annoying assholes – ergo the alliance – saved their hides? An unquenchable rage surged through his body, making him shake and curl lips back over canines.

"_I'll fucking kill you all! Ungrateful BASTARDS!_" He spat, stalking out from the shadows and busting into the main guild hall with a ferocious snarl. The sight made his eyes go wide, and his fury dissipate into nothing.

The building was empty.

Nada.

Zip.

Zilch.

Cobra blinked and cocked an eyebrow, straightening out of his half crouch and raising his head to sniff the air. His nose was nowhere near as sensitive as his ears, but it was still dragon slayer standard – yet he couldn't smell anything. The room smelt as if it had been abandoned long ago, as if a guild full of mages never existed, and quite frankly his nose was itching from the dust. Rubbing his nose on the back of his hand he blinked lazily and yawned, his fatigue had finally caught up with him making his eyes heavy. '_To hell with it all..._' Cobra decided to do one quick sweep of the small guild 'village' of Cait Shelter before he became victim to his exhaustion, his nose rising to the air occasionally and twitching uncomfortably at the invasion of dust. Through the stale smell, he could pick up the faint scent of the 'Sky Maiden' and her stupid cat; and quite frankly it perplexed him.

How was it he could smell her and her pet, but no one else? Scratch that, he could smell the salamander vaguely and what he assumed to be Titania Erza (the other scents were hard to put faces to), but other than that... He shook of the sense of unease and kicked down another door with a frown – it appeared the village really was empty. Lady luck appeared to be on his side; the first thing he saw when he walked into the building, was what he assumed to be a bed '_much more inviting than sleeping outside with this shit...'_ he rolled his shoulder experimentally and touched it tenderly, rubbing his fingers together with a frown at seeing his poison and blood mingled together.

That couldn't be good, he was sure he the venom there was a pain killer and a coagulant, yet the crimson on his fingertips didn't lie. A knot of worry worked into his stomach but he shook it off and strode over to the bed, lying flat on his stomach (the last thing he wanted was to get dust on the oozing injury). It was uncomfortable, but he managed and with a final yawn, his eyes slipped shut and he lost himself to his fatigue and his dreams – his nightmares.

* * *

_Cobra could hear the hissing, it was unnerving and his first thought was a snake, but then the sound repeated and he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. This was no snake, it sounded too deep – too guttural – to be any kind of serpent. So he ran, ran as fast as his legs could take him, eyes wide with terror and heart pounding in his ears. Where was he? He turned on his heel sharply, staring in the direction he came from; pitch black answered his questioning, terrified gaze._

"I can hear your fear..."_Cobra's blood ran cold at the foreign voice, a shiver of panic dancing up his spine. With a moment of hesitation he turned back around and came face to face with gleaming gold, snake-like eyes. He stood there, maroon hair unkempt from the running, and stared at the gold ringed eyes, paralysed in fear. They crinkled at the corners and a large forked tongue slipped out of the darkness, the tips brushing past the sides of his head. Cobra swallowed the large lump in his throat when it withdrew back into the beasts maw._

"_Who...?" an abnormally loud, rumbling growl answered his question, a snout pushing him roughly out from the dark and nearly knocking him off his feet. Cobra winced, his ears were ringing a little and he stuck a hand out to steady himself on the scaly snout._

_Wait... scaly?_

"Listen for the sound the iron blade" _it hissed, glowing eyes narrowing in the dark. They stared at each other for a small while, a gust of vile – almost noxious – smelling smoke hitting him head on when the beast snorted and it turned away, gold eyes vanishing into the dark. Cobra's ears twitched at the loud, droning, thunder that followed and ducked when a whoosh of air whipped past his face; squinting into the dark he made out a flexible barbed tail. His ears twitched again and he found the thundering to have a rhythm... very much like footsteps..._

_What in the actual fuck?_

"_Who are you!?" He yelled into the dark, ignoring the terror in his gut that told him to turn around and run like hell. Cobra froze under the intense glare he received from ringed gold orbs in the Shadows, it blinked and he watched the movement in awe – a translucent membrane slid over its eyes beneath the eyelids as it blinked, and retreated quickly in a very reptilian-like manner; all this in half a second. What the hell was he dealing with? Stars danced in his vision when something hard and rough connected with his stomach, sending him sprawling hundreds of meters back. Stunned, Cobra hacked and coughed, desperately trying to get air into his lungs while he lay face down in the dark and after several moments he tried to shakily push himself up – only to have a crushing weight drop onto his back and press him flat into the ground; choking the air from his lungs._

_His ribs were snapping under the immense pressure, he could _hear _them._

"You lost" _the deep voice hissed, that same forked tongue flicking past his compressed body. He couldn't breathe and his lungs were burning. The pressure increased and a sharp pain jolted through his chest, blood filling his mouth and forcing him to splutter out the liquid uselessly under the pressure. A rib had snapped off and buried deep into the soft porous tissue of his lungs._

"_I..." the pressure vanished and he sucked in a welcome breath, only to cough again when he inhaled the copper tasting liquid that was flooding his mouth and lungs. It felt like he was suffocating, drowning in his own blood. The beast above him hissed and Cobra let out a gurgling scream when a hard, sharp object dug into his side, flipping him over onto his back. Steely grey eyes were wide and silent tears escaped into the dark, staring upwards into the golden menacing orbs of the monster above him._

"Weak" _it snarled._

_That's when he saw it, and he knew he was going to _die_. _

_Its jaws opened and rows of ivory, gleaming fangs greeted him, the beasts forked snake-like tongue withdrawing into its sheath. The maw descended on him, and he could feel the oversized fangs digging into his battered body, ripping him apart. He screamed, screamed and yelled out until his voice was hoarse and croaky; He could feel his skin being torn apart and his entrails being slurped up like some sick version of a pasta dish, he felt ill and his vision grew hazy – but he didn't die, couldn't die. It was as if he was forced to feel, to _hear _every snap of his bones and the crunch of the beast's jaws as it devoured them greedily. Cobra couldn't feel his legs, hell he wasn't sure they were even there anymore; he coughed up blood in waves, unable to breathe through the red liquid flooding his lungs. _He was being forced to experience being eaten alive.

_And that's when the beast pulled back, snout hovering over his face and gold sinister eyes watching him critically. He could feel his own blood dripping down onto his face, but he didn't care; the pain he was experiencing right now was beyond unbearable, it felt as if someone had thrown him into the mouth of an active volcano. Cobra blinked exhaustedly, he didn't want to open his mouth in fear of the hoarse screams that would erupt if he did; yet his ears twitched at what sounded like a rumbling cough._

_It was only after a few hazy moments he realised the monster seemed to be laughing at him._

"Impressive..." _He felt the scaly snout press to his forehead, the exhaled breath from its nose tousling his blood-soaked hair._ "You want power... don't you _runt_?" _it hissed, eyes narrowing slightly and a deep growl resonating from its chest making the air vibrate. Cobra watched the beast with glazed over eyes, and he swore a flash of colour danced in front of him – granted, in the mutilated, sorry state he was in, he had probably imagined it. His hazy mind did however think over what the monster had said, did he want power? Perhaps that's why Cubelios left; he didn't have the power to protect her and she recognised that. Cobra's chest tightened and he felt fresh tears slide down his cheeks – he would take whatever this monster could offer if it meant he could protect his dear friend when he reunited with her. Another exhale brushed his maroon hair and it was then he foggily realised the beast above him appeared to be waiting for a reply, so he forced back the haze and swallowed, his throat as dry as a desert._

"_y-..." he swallowed again, what remained of his right arm twitching "y-yes..." he breathed, blood oozing from his mouth and vision glowing blurry at the edges. Another breath tousled his maroon hair and he screwed his eyes shut, feeling the hard scales of the beast pull back. The pitch black of the dark lifted and he found himself under the same sky he witnessed earlier in the night, the crescent moon laughing down at him. Cobra's eyes widened and his mind cleared in a matter of seconds when an echoing, ear-splitting roar shook the very air around him; it was painful and he wanted to cover his ears, but he knew very well his muscles wouldn't respond._

_A shadow flickered above him..._

_What he saw next made his blood run cold._

_A giant, dark, burgundy coloured reptile hovered over him, lips pulled back over sharp, jagged, blood-stained teeth into a sinister snarl. It had a long slender snout and he found himself comparing the beasts face to Cubelios, deep black horns protruded from the base of its skull and he could make out smaller ones around its jaw. The beast's underbelly was painted a creamy white, but the one thing that drew him back every time was the malicious, golden snake-like eyes that scrutinized him. It watched him, and its tail swished patiently – he could see the beast also had large, leathery wings. Cobra gulped under its intense gaze, its pressure causing his mind to forget about his mangled body._

"My name is Vu'tel, remember that _runt"_

* * *

Cobra woke in a cold sweat, eyes wide as dinner plates and fingers digging rivulets into the worn mattress of the bed. He lay like that for a while, heart thundering in his ears and his windpipe clenched shut in horror. He couldn't move, he didn't want to even breathe in fear of what would happen if he did. Cobra blinked, the feeling warm tears sliding down his cheeks surprising him – had he been crying in his sleep? if he had to guess by the dark outside, it was just past midnight...

Sleep...

He bolted upright and backpedalled to the edge of the bed, staring at his body and the mattress in terror. Blood coated the bed, the sheets, the floor and all he could do was stare with wide eyes _´what the hell is...'_ he snapped his gaze to his body and his breath caught in his throat; burgundy scales covered his arms in the way they would when he activated his dragon force, though the scales were almost nonexistent on his injured right shoulder, except for the select few that dotted the marred flesh. Stunned, Cobra's wide eyes continued down his body, and he found his dragon-like hands were subconsciously running over his sides, his stomach his legs.

Everything was still there...

One leathery palm pressed against his chest and a sharp pain erupted from the brief touch, rendering him breathless. He ripped his hand from his chest sharply and sucked in a welcome breath, a fiery sting dancing through his body '_what was that just now..?!'_ His shoulder throbbed painfully and he hissed through clenched teeth, eyes screwing shut and a spell of dizziness hitting him head on. The ground was spinning and a painful headache erupted out of nowhere, with a groan of agony he settled his head between his knees; willing the unwelcome feeling causing the churning in his stomach to disappear. It felt like he was going to...

He hunched over with eyes wide, stomach contracting painfully, and expelled everything he had eaten in the past twenty-four hours – including the viper's venom – onto the bloodied sheets; he convulsed repeatedly, the nauseous feeling rooting into his body mercilessly. Cobra felt like shit, to put it bluntly. By the time it had finally stopped, he was breathless and exhausted – he was struggling to stay alert and awake, the room was tilting unnaturally. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body went slack as he fell off the bed and onto the hard ground, unconscious.

...

Cobra's eyes cracked open slowly, adjusting to the bright morning daylight filtering through the open door. His ears twitched at the sound of the birds, and he groaned softly, an aching pain throbbing through his body in time with his heartbeat. The pain he was in was beyond indescribable, and the stench he was surrounded by almost as unbearable. After Cobra had blacked out, he fell into a dreamless sleep and his dragon scales retreated beneath his skin in a shimmering light; the rest of the night had been uneventful – and for that he was grateful. It was most likely six in the morning – the birds always woke him up at that ungodly hour; he always found it hard to believe Midnight could sleep through their racket. With a scowl he rolled onto his stomach, peeling his right shoulder off the stone floor with a grimace; it had stuck there like glue from the blood and what he assumed to be the remnants of his poison.

Standing, he steadied himself against the foot of the bed and caught his breath – the room was spinning again and he felt sick. Gulping the feeling down, he groaned again, eyes narrowing to focus onto a single point on the stone floor '_Not... throwing up...again!' _after fighting with the feeling for a good five minutes he pushed it back and his breathing became laboured. Cobra had a feeling it had to do with his marred shoulder; he had probably picked up some kind of terminal disease while walking through the forest with it. Scowling he inched to the door, intending to go for a dip in that lake, his front – bar his leather pants – had been in the splash zone of his vomiting fit last night and he _reeked._ Chancing a last look at the room a wiry smile plastered onto his face, the bed wasn't as unscathed as he first thought; it was ripped apart and all the blood appeared to have come from his injury... there was no other way he could fathom there to be that much... blood...

Though...

'_If I actually bled out that much I'd probably be dead...'_ Hesitantly he raised his nose and sniffed the air of the room – and to his confusion he couldn't smell blood at all (the smell of bile aside). He shook it off '_probably cuz I'm sick or something...messin' with my nose'_ with a roll of his eyes he shakily started for the lake, his stomach churning all the while. Cobra's thoughts returned to his dream last night and he frowned, what exactly was that... that _thing? _Though he hated to admit it, only one thing came to mind, the very species he had told that Salamander was long gone; dragons. But why the hell would he dream of a dragon? Let alone one eating him alive?! He peeled his ruined shirt off and threw it into the trees – looks like he'd have to go topless; no way in hell was he washing that. His thoughts continued to plague him while he stripped down and sunk down into the cool water, ignoring the sting the second it connected with his injury.

"Dragons..." he muttered, dropping below the surface of the water and running his fingers through his maroon hair, slicking it back as he surfaced. Cobra had a feeling he knew the so-called-dragon from his nightmare, yet at the same time it felt as if it were nothing but a strange apparition in a strange dream. With a frustrated yell he splashed the water away with his left arm. What the hell did it mean?! After a few more moments of cleaning up he retreated from the water with a dark scowl, all this thinking about so-called dragons made his head hurt. Tugging his pants on he winced at a sharp jolt running down his spine, his injury was getting worse.

His thought's consisted of nothing but his dream, and that malicious looking dragon that accompanied it '_what the hell did it mean by "listen for the sound of an iron blade"? GAH I _hate _riddles damn it!'_ Baring teeth he stormed back into the abandoned Cait Shelter, ignoring the searing pain coming from his shoulder; he could grit teeth and get through it somehow, he was sure. Cobra paused in his frustrated gait, catching whiff of a mix of scents that made him raise an eyebrow. The 'Sky Maiden' was there, most definitely... but why did it seem that her fading trail led out of the village with the alliance of guilds? He frowned and turned his head back to the ruins of Nirvana on the horizon and the memories of his close friend appeared fast enough to stun him and near knock the wind out of him.

"Cubelios..."he muttered, fists clenching and lips pulling back over canines "I swear I'll find you..."

* * *

It was getting worse; he could feel himself burning up and his injury throbbing to the point where he couldn't hold back the tears of pain. It felt as if someone had grabbed a rusty knife and impaled him in the back; slowly, torturously twisting it to extract the maximum amount of agony possible. He hissed through clenched teeth, vision cloudy and eyes hooded. It was almost sundown, and he had followed the alliance's scent until it faded out into nothing; with nowhere else to go off he stowed away on a passing cart from travellers heading to the port town of Hargeon. _´maybe... I can go to a different country... get away from all this'_

He was struggling to stay conscious at this point, his leather pants were clinging to him like a second skin from his sweat and he was silently grateful he chose to go topless; the cool breeze over his toned body was a welcome relief to the unbridled heat washing over him in waves and making him feel nauseous. Granted taking transportation along a bumpy road probably wasn't the brightest idea – he did get a bad case of motion sickness, but in most cases Cubelios' presence was more than enough to soothe him; it was as if she was his cure to the god forsaken ailment.

The cart jostled again and his stomach lurched, his face going green and bile rising up his throat; mouth set into a permanent grimace '_why me...?' _with a grunt he readjusted himself and stared out the back of the cart, peeling his injury off the wooden crate he was leaning on and sighing at the bloody imprint it left – yeah, he had decided long ago that was most definitely _not_ normal. The sun had dipped below the horizon and the cart he had stowed away on had begun to pull into Hargeon, lamps were turning on and windows of houses and shops he passed had gold lights illuminating the many rooms of the buildings. He would wait until it stopped before he left the stupid moving contraption, why?

He could hear the thoughts of army regiments patrolling the town, hear the sound of their boots against the cobblestone roads and in his current condition along with recovering from his motion sickness on the spot; if a squad saw him and was able to identify him, it would evidently lead to his capture. Not to mention the sweat rolling off him in waves wasn't just from him being motion sick – he could smell the injury on his shoulder festering into a disgusting infection riddled mass; and boy it _stank._ Cobra lurched slightly when the cart came to an abrupt halt, smacking his head on the crate behind him with an 'oof!' Stars danced before his eyes and he groaned, god he hated transportation '_Cubelios... you son of a...'_ he cursed the departure of his friend; how dare she just up and leave! Now he had to actually _use_ things like carts and trains!

Cobra's ears twitched and he shook off his motion sickness with a scowl - It didn't sound like any guards were around. With one fluid movement he bounded out of the cart and into the shadows of a building alleyway, breathing already harsh at the small exertion. He could feel the beads of sweat rolling down his back and into his wound, the salty liquid stinging the already sensitive flesh. Cobra decided then and there he needed help – bad. With a wary glance around the corner of the building he froze when his eyes locked onto a paper flyer pinned up against a shop door:

**WANTED**

**Member of the Baram Alliance guild; Oracion Seis. Codenamed: Cobra. Has a large snake with him at all times, approach with extreme caution, considered extremely dangerous. Uses poison magic.**

**REWARD**

_**JL600,000,000 **_

His jaw dropped in shock, 600 _million_ jewels for his capture? That was insane! Shaking off his surprise he suddenly became extremely paranoid; he'd be screwed if he got caught now, even if Hargeon wasn't known for housing a wizard's guild. Swallowing thickly he turned to stalk down the alleyway, intent on finding somewhere to hide out for the night; but something made him stop.

That something was in the form of a bi-pedal rusty brown cat staring at him with its jaw hanging open like a venus flytrap. Cobra blinked at the sight, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand – fearing he may have gone delusional – and continued to stare at the frozen feline that hadn't blinked for the time they had been staring at each other. His ear's twitched at the sound of a pair of running footsteps and he narrowed his eyes behind the cat, they were light, much like a child's; so when a small blonde haired boy bolted around the corner with a scowl he wasn't all that surprised.

"Lector!" he scolded, snapping the feline out of his daze and making it jump "I thought I told you not to run off! Just cuz I have a good nose doesn't mean I like sniffing you out in this stinky city!" Cobra watched with maroon eyebrows in his hairline, his mouth dropping open in a similar fashion to this 'Lector' moments ago when the cat talked back; it was like Salamander's!

"I couldn't help it! I saw this stray cat and it looked like it wanted to talk!" Well that was interesting; still, it appeared the newcomer had yet to notice him. Snapping his mouth shut he let a small smirk crawl across his face while he watched the scene the two were making, sharp hearing subconsciously listening for any approaching patrols.

"How do you even know if they can talk! They're just cats Lector!"

"So? How do you know dragons talk? They're just dragons dummy!"

"Because I killed mine! Duh!" Well now that got his attention, even so he felt extremely lethargic and his vision had begun producing doubles. With a pained groan, Cobra leaned against the stone wall of the building and slid down to the ground, his breathing heavy and his injury tearing, bleeding fresh blood at the contact with the rough wall. The young boy picked up on the coppery scent, raising his nose to sniff the air and his eyebrows shooting into his hairline at seeing the maroon haired, topless, injured man crumpled on the ground like balled up newspaper. Cautiously he approached him, unsure of what to make of the situation, the feline he was arguing with moments ago trailing behind him equally as curious. The pungent smell of puss and blood made his nose wrinkle.

"You're sick" he stated matter-of-factly. Cobra tilted his head back against the wall, a headache throbbing behind his eyes and a pained groan slipping from his lips. He cracked an eye open to stare at him wearily, his pupils narrowed down to slits and his cheeks flushed a light pink from the ailment his body was fighting off. The boy tentatively reached a hand out and pressed it to his sweaty forehead, very near flinching at the heated skin burning under his fingers. Cobra – though feeling extremely unwell – reacted on instinct, his hand snapping up from his side and grabbing the boy's wrist fast enough for the movement to be a blur.

"Don't touch me!" Cobra hissed, cracking both eyes open half mast to glare at the young child. He looked only about eleven if that, his skin was lightly tanned and he had a mess of pale blonde hair windswept back out of his face. The boy had bright blue-violet eyes, the colour alone reminding him of Cubelios – a small scar trailing over his right eyebrow. He had a feeling this child would be a lady killer when he grew up. Cobra let him go again after several moments, his hand dropping back down do his side; truth be told he was more surprised the child didn't fight against his grip.

'_I wonder what his story is...'_ his ears twitched at the boy's thoughts.

"My name's Sting, Sting Eucliffe. What's your name mister?" He asked.

'_Sting-kun... I don't trust him; he looks like that guy who's wanted!'_ Cobra could hear through his cloudy mind, the muscles beneath the cats fur rippling as it went to open its mouth and possibly voice it's opinion – he couldn't risk it, and he'd be damned if he had to kill a freakin' child and their cat just to avoid being captured.

"Erik" he said quickly "Erik Vernelle" A small smile twitched at his lips when the cat's jaw snapped shut audibly. Very few people knew his real name, so the chances of someone recognizing it if this child mentioned it would be nonexistent.

"But you're also that Cobra guy right?" He snapped his head up, eyes wide and the sudden movement making giving him an uncomfortable head spin. Sting grinned at him "It's ok, I'm not going to tell anyone, you just smelled like poison and stuff" he said with a laugh, pointing at the very poster Cobra himself had spotted and the single line that read '_**uses poison magic.'**_

If he had the strength he would have slapped his hand to his forehead right about now.

Wait did he say...

"You said I smelled like poison..?" he questioned quietly, the sharp pain in his chest from the night before coming back again intensely, causing stars to dance in his vision. Sting noticed this and gently gabbed the poison dragon slayers shoulders, shaking him gently when his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"Hey, mister! Oi are you ok?" He shot a worried look to Lector, the cat staring wide eyed and unsure of how to react "Go get help!" hesitantly, the exceed obliged and ran off as fast as his short legs could take him, Sting staying by Cobra and pressing a hand to his forehead again, looking up to see crimson smeared on the wall where he had slid down it. His mouth set into a grimace at the sight.

'_What happened to him?!'_

**A/N: **Soooo? what you think? want more? =p RnR guys :D


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